The NWSL and NWSL Players Association released a joint statement on Oct. 13, explaining that the championship game scheduled to take place on Nov. 20 would be moved from Portland to Louisville at the request of the players.
While fans speculated that this may be related to the Thorns' handling of the Paul Riley allegations, the players had taken issue with the location for some time. The game was scheduled to take place at 9 a.m. local time in Portland, in order to accommodate a noon Eastern Time start on CBS. It simply wasn't practical, and players saw the move as an act of good faith. "It's a very, very small win for us in many ways — but it's nice for our voices to be heard," said Spirit player Tegan McGrady, as reported by The Athletic's Meg Linehan.